If you can go hard at the pub but somehow refrain from diving into a kebab on the walk home, please let us know how.

Booze and food have been married forever. We dine out with wine on romantic evenings, and we tuck into large pizzas after crawling out of bed while suffering apocalyptic hangovers.

For every beer, there's a slice of doner kebab. This is the mathematical formula.

But why, exactly, do we feel so hungry after drinking? Why, even if we've gone out for dinner before drinks, or made sure to have an omelette and chips before heading out on the town?

A new study has shed some light on how our bodies react to drinking. Simply put: alcohol activates the brain cells that promote hunger.

Why do we always go so hard on the food after a night on the sauce? (Image: Getty)

Science journalNature writes that 'Agrp neurons', things responsible for provoking hunger, are stimulated by booze. Even if we're not actually all that hungry. Our brains are sort of tricking us – or so the study claims.

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Scientists tested this theory on mice. Researchers gave the rodents alcohol over a three-day period, and found that their Agrp neurons sprung into action. In past reports, Agrp neurons have been found to "potently increase motivation" for eating and can cause "rapid overeating".

Kebabs are integral to our being (Image: Getty Images)

The experiment was dubbed an "alcoholic weekend" for mice. Yes, they really did go hard, just like a few days in Magaluf, or long weekend in Newcastle.

While binge drinking, mice ate "significantly" more, just as you probably do when you're getting on it.